Pill and capsule dispensing tray and method



May 16, 1950 M. M. KING PILL AND CAPSULE DISPENSING TRAY AND METHOD Filed April 18, 1947 r m e U m Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES zswgaz PATENT QFFEQE PILL AND CAPSULE DISPENSING TRAY AND METHOD This invention relates to dispensing pills, capsules and the like and has for its primary object to facilitate the rapid counting and dispensing of pills, capsules and like articles.

Another object is to enable the user readily to deposit a predetermined group or number of pills, capsules or the like into a dispensing container, and to return the remaining articles to a storage container.

The above and other objects :may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features depositing from a storage container into a trough having an open end a plurality of pills, partitioning from the pills deposited in the trough a predetermined number of pills, discharging the partitioned group of pills from the open end of the trough into a dispensing container and returning the pills remaining in the trough to the storage container.

Other features include a trough having an open end, a partition removably engaged in the trough, and a tongue on the partition adapted to be engaged over the edge of one side wall of the trough when the partition is in place in the trough and said tongue being adapted to be used as a pointer in counting pills deposited in the trough.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pill counter and dispensing trough embodying the features of this invention illustrating pills being deposited therein from a storage container,

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the partition wall and pointer being used to count out a predetermined number of the pills from the group deposited therein from the storage container,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the trough showing the partition in place and the counted group of pills being deposited in a dispensing container.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the unused pills being returned to the storage container, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the partition.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a dispensing trough designated generally l comprises a bottom i i having a perpendicular side wall l2 and an outwardly inclined side wall 53 as it recedes from the bottom M. This trough is provided at one end with an end wall l4, while the opposite end of the trough is left open.

.A partition designated generally i is employed in conjunction with the trough and comprises a main body it which is shaped to conform to the contour of the interior of the trough l0, and is provided at one end with a hook H which is adapted to engage over the perpendicular wall I2 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, to hold the partition in proper position in the trough. The hook H is provided with a flange 58 which lies against the outer face of the perpendicular wall i2 When the partition is in place, and serves to hold the partition substantially perpendicular to the Wall l2. Formed at the end of the partition opposite the hook I! is a tongue I 9 which when the parti tion wall is in place in the trough overlies the edge of the inclined wall It remote from the bottom I l to form a support for that end of the partition. The tongue I9 is provided with a pointed end 20 which when the partition is used to count out a number of pills from those deposited in the trough is adapted to serve as a pointer, and means to move the pills away from the main group, so as to avoid contact with the human hand.

In use, the partition I5 is placed in the trough intermediate its ends as suggested in Figure 1 and the articles to be counted are deposited in the trough between the partition wall l5 and the end wall It by pouring them from the storage container S as suggested in Figure 1. Having thus promiscuously deposited a number of the articles in the trough, the trough is tilted as illustrated in Figure 2 and the partition removed with the pointer used to count the articles to be dispensed, and to move them toward the open end of the trough. When the desired number of articles has been counted, the partition is replaced in the trough as illustrated in Figure 3 and the open end of the trough is moved to a point above a dispensing container D with the trough tilted so that the counted articles will move by gravity through the open end of the trough into the dispensing container. After the counted group of pills has been deposited in the dispensing container, the partition I5 is removed and the open end of the trough is transferred to the open mouth of the storage container S as suggested in Figure 4 so that by tilting the tray it! the contents thereof will be discharged into the storage container. In this way, it will be obvious that pills, capsules, and the like may be handled and the correct number counted for distribution, without being touched by the human hands. Hence, the sterility of the articles being counted is preserved and there is no danger of contamination thereof.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 152 1. A counter for pills, capsules or the like comprising an elongated trough having an open end and a closed end, a partition removably engaged in the trough between the ends thereof and a tongue on the partition engageable over the edge of one side wall of the trough to aid in retaining the partition in place in the trough and said tongue being usable as a pointer in counting articles deposited in the trough.

2. A counter for pills, capsules, or the like, comprising an elongated trough open at one end, an end wall closing the opposite end of the trough, a partition removably engaged in saidtrough between opposite ends thereof, a hook at one end of the partition to embrace one side wall of the trough and a tongue on the opposite end of the partition engageable over the top edge of the opposite side wall of the trough when the partition is engaged therein and said tongue being usable as a pointer in counting articles deposited in the trough.

3. A counter for pills, capsules or the like, said counter comprising an elongated trough open at one end, an end wall closing the opposite end of said trough, a pointer to segregate a group of articles from a supply group of articles contained in the trough adjacent the end wall thereof and a partition wall on the pointer enterable into the trough between the groups and engageable with the walls of said trough to maintain the segregation between the groups of articles while the trough is tilted to discharge the segregated group of articles through the open end thereof.

MARION M. KING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,873 Upjohn June 9, 1891 FOREIGN PATENTS Number: Country Date 19,326 Great Britain Sept. 15, 1908 

